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Module 2

In this module you will:

Receive the answers to the Quiz in Module 1

Be taught danger signs that mean you must seek professional help

Study the materia medica of the major first aid remedies

Look at example cases and suggest a suitable remedy

Do a short quiz to review what you have learnt

Answers to Quiz/ Module 1

1. Sleeplessness can be treated conventionally with sleeping pills, but why might this approach cause further problems?

Sleeplessness is a red light telling you that you are experiencing a deeper dis-ease. Perhaps, for some reason, you are anxious or over-excited and this is leading to sleeplessness. If you do not treat the underlying dis-ease the problem will persist.

In order for sleeping pills to be able to over-ride this warning sign it is likely you will have to increase the number of pills you take over time to maintain the same effect. Sleeping pills have effects you want - they make you sleepy, but they also have many effects you don't want. These are usually termed 'side effects'. The more you take the stronger these side effects will be. You may then wish to stop taking the sleeping pills. If the underlying

dis-ease remains, the sleeplessness will return and you may also suffer further dis-ease as a result of the effects of withdrawal.

2. A homeopathic medicine called Coffea tosta (coffee) is sometimes used to treat sleeplessness. Why coffee?

Coffee produces feelings of exhilaration and artificially high energy levels making sleep difficult or impossible. Because it is able to produce these effects in a healthy person it can also be used to cure them. It certainly will not work in all cases of insomnia. The suffering has to be similar for it to work. It may be indicated where someone is over-excited and over-joyed about something, perhaps a forthcoming event, and unable to sleep because of it.

3. What two processes are used to create a potentised medicine?

Dilution and succussion.

4. What is the difference (in preparation) between a 6x and a 12x?

Both are prepared using 9 drops of dilutant to one drop of the medicinal liquid. At the end of each dilution and succussion only one drop (of the medicinal liquid at the new potency) is added to the next nine drops. This makes ten drops in all (hence the roman numeral X). A 6x will have been diluted and succussed six times, whereas a 12x will have been diluted and sucussed twelve times.

5. What is the difference (in preparation) between a 6x and a 6c?

One, the 6x, is prepared using nine drops of dilutant. The other, the 6c, uses 99 drops. Both have been through the process of dilution and succussion six times.

6. What makes a medicine truly homeopathic?

It is capable of producing similar suffering in a healthy person. Most homeopathic medicines are also diluted and succussed.

7. A self help book explains you should take homeopathic medicine 'A' three times a day for an acute complaint. What law does this advice ignore?

The Law of the Minimum Dose.

8. Your child is teething. You study the symptoms and correctly prescribe Chamomilla and the child calms down and goes back to sleep. When do you give the next dose?

The fact that the child's symptoms improve confirms that Chamomilla was the correct choice. You need only repeat if the same symptoms return or if improvement stops before a complete return to a state of health and well-being. In the case of teething remedies may need to be repeated frequently.

9. In the cases, Apis, Hypericum and Ledum are mentioned. Name one symptom you would associate with each.

Apis - red hot angry swellings better for cold applications.

Ledum - injuries to deep tissue (e.g. palms and soles) with blueness, not hot to the touch, but better for cold applications.

Hypericum - shooting pains travelling along injured nerves.

10.Which two fundamental laws are needed to practise Homeopathy safely and effectively? Briefly describe them.

The Law of Similars

If a substance can cause suffering and symptoms in a healthy person it is capable of also curing a similar suffering or symptom. Like cures like.

The Law of the Minimum Dose

The best results are obtained by giving the minimum amount of medicinal stimulus to get a reaction from the individual's own healing powers. A single dose of the medicine is given and then its action is assessed some time later. If it is working no more medicine is given unless the improvements experienced either stop completely or are reversed. Less is more.

First Aid

The good news is that first aid prescribing is relatively straight forward and even absolute newcomers to Homeopathy can get wonderful results. The reason is that if a person walks straight into a wall and gives themselves a nasty bash in 99% of cases this will result in a bruise. Similarly if a person picks up a very hot pan in 99% of cases a burn will result. In other words we all tend to respond to external injuries in very predictable ways. This means it is usually possible to equate a particular homeopathic medicine to a particular injury. This is often not the case with acute illnesses. Even if we catch the same cold as our neighbour our symptom picture may be quite

different from theirs and so we will each need different homeopathic medicines.

If you are completely new to homeopathy and in any way sceptical about its healing powers then prescribing for first aid situations is a great way to test it out and judge it by results. Most of you will have experienced similar injuries in the past and will have some idea of how long these injuries generally take to heal. You will be amazed at how much quicker you, or your family and friends, will recover with the help of a well-selected homeopathic medicine.

I had a friend who used to be very sceptical of Homeopathy and although I had given them a kit as a gift they never used it. Once, whilst I was visiting, his daughter fell heavily and caught her forehead on the corner of a coffee table. She was very distressed and we watched as this cartoon-style lump came up on her forehead. I asked if he would mind if I gave her an Arnica and she was so upset he agreed. I found the kit tucked away in the bathroom, completely unused, and gave her an Arnica. The tears stopped almost instantly and she started to play again. Even I was surprised to see that the small egg of a lump immediately started to go down and within half an hour it had completely disappeared. This convinced my friend in a way words never could have.

To prescribe for first aid emergencies you need to either know what medicines generally help in each type of emergency or, if not, know where to look it up, but more importantly you need to have the medicines to hand. Keep a kit with you at all times in your purse, in your glove compartment or in a large pocket and be prepared. This is especially true if you are accident prone or have young children. Another very useful product to keep handy is Rescue Remedy or Emergency Essence (an Australian Bush flower version of Rescue Remedy)

SAFETY FIRST

Serious injuries and illnesses should never be treated without seeking expert advice. Use your instincts and common sense, if you are worried call for help first, then give the appropriate homeopathic medicine whilst you are waiting for help to arrive. If in any doubt check for these...

Warning Signs

If the person you are treating has any of the following seek expert medical help immediately:

• backache, or fever, with urinary infection • bleeding, heavy or unexplained • breathing, rapid shallow or difficult • burns, severe or larger than your hand • chest pain, severe • confusion, following trauma or over-exposure to sun • consciousness, lost or impaired • convulsions • delirium • dehydration, especially in babies, small children and elderly • drowsiness, unexplained or unexpected • headache, severe • fever, above 103.5F / 40C or persistent or with stiff neck • fits • fluid, watery / bloody, from ears or nose following head injury • movement, full range, lost or impaired • puncture wounds, near vital organs • speech, lost or impaired • stool, pale or white • streaks, red running towards body • swelling, rapid or severe (especially of mouth or throat) • thirstlessness, prolonged with fever or diarrhoea or vomiting • urine, profuse or scanty or bloody • vision, lost or impaired • vomiting, unexpected and repeated • wheezing, severe • yellowness, of skin or eyes

Materia medica

Let's take a more in depth look at 8 homeopathic medicines that are frequently needed in First Aid prescribing and then we'll look at some real cases and see how we might treat them using these homeopathic medicines.

1. Arnica

More people have probably converted to Homeopathy because of Arnica than any other medicine. It really is the most wonderful medicine. Having said that, I know people who give Arnica for literally every ill and then wonder why it doesn't work!

Arnica only works beautifully provided it is used homeopathically, in other words to treat similar suffering. So let us start by looking at what healthy people would experience if they took Arnica in a homeopathic proving (a test on human volunteers to see what symptoms and suffering it is capable of producing).

Provers said that they felt bruised and sore. Their heads felt hot but their bodies were cold. They felt worse for the slightest jar or touch and in fact had a fear of being touched. They tended to say they were fine even though they clearly weren't. They would answer a question but then fall back into stupor. This is why Arnica is an excellent remedy to treat physical trauma and shock, because the symptom pictures of Arnica and that of an accident victim are so similar. Aconite can also help if there has been a near death situation that leaves the person in a state of terror. Provers of Arnica also experienced terrible nosebleeds. This meant that it could be used not only to treat nosebleeds but to treat haemorrhaging after injury or childbirth as well.

Arnica montana, as its name suggests, is a daisy (Compositae family) that grows in the mountains. The homeopathic medicine is made from a tincture of the whole fresh plant and the root. Its other names are Leopard's-bane and (appropriately) Fallkraut. It was proven homeopathically because it was already a well-established herbal medicine for treating injury. It is particularly useful for treating soft tissue injuries with bruising and soreness, sprains, head injuries (or seizures after head injury) and shock resulting from physical trauma.

If someone has had an accident and you are trying to work out the exact nature of their injuries you can always give Arnica initially. It will certainly help. You can then consider what other homeopathic medicines may also be needed. It is possible to buy Arnica creams and ointments, but they should

not be used on open wounds as they cause suppuration. To keep wounds clean and pus free the most frequently needed homeopathic medicine is ...

2. Calendula

Calendula is a fine antiseptic made from a tincture of the leaves and flowers of the marigold, another Compositae. It can be used externally as a cream, ointment or tincture or taken internally in pill form. It is useful for open wounds even if they are not painful because it prevents sepsis and gangrene from setting in and promotes healthy re-growth of the skin. Calendula also has a great healing effect on open, torn, cut, lacerated, ragged or suppurating (pus-filled) wounds, particularly where the pain seems excessive and out of all proportion to the injury. The wound is often raw and inflamed with stinging.

It can be used to treat haemorrhages after tooth extraction or scalp wounds; injuries to eyes (see also Symphytum) which tend to suppuration and also exhaustion from loss of blood and excessive pain.

Calendula given early usually stops sepsis. However if sepsis does set in and Calendula doesn't help consider:

Belladonna - for hot, red, throbbing wounds with little or no pus

Hepar sulph - for very painful, pus-filled wounds

Silica - for painless pus-filled wounds

3. Cantharis

Cantharis is made from Spanish fly, which was once used as a very ill-conceived aphrodisiac. It created a terrible raging burning and itching that was, only temporarily, relieved during intercourse. It was proved as a homeopathic medicine just because it was capable of producing such terrible suffering. Provers experienced inflammations that were incredibly violent, with a raw sensation. Pains were cutting, smarting, burning and itching. For this reason it is a valuable remedy for burns and scalds. If possible give it before blisters form, but if given later it will help blisters to heal. Like Calendula it can reduce the risks of sepsis and gangrene. Cantharis may also be helpful in cases of sunburn (but consider Belladonna too).

There are some excellent combination burn ointments on the market and it is a great idea to have a tube in the kitchen in case of mishaps. Burns that benefit from Calendula will be better for cold applications. Very

occasionally burns feel better for warm applications in which case they respond better to Arsenicum. Urtica urens (made from nettles) is also an excellent burns medicine. Where the burn is deeper and there is nerve damage consider Kali bich and Hypericum.

4. Hypericum

Hypericum (or St. John's Wort) has been in the news lately as a number of people have been using it in tincture or herbal doses to treat depression. Personally, I think it is inadvisable to treat something as serious as depression with an over the counter remedy of any sort.

Hypericum is included in our homeopathic kits because it is the number one remedy for healing nerve damage. So when is nerve damage likely to occur? You remember the story of Martha's wasp sting in Module 1. The sting hit a nerve and caused excruciating pain. Similar injuries can occur with other animal bites and stings or from gun shot wounds, injections, epidurals and surgical procedures. The most common way to injure a nerve, though, is to trap your fingers or toes, bang your elbow or to land on your tail bone (coccyx). Always think of it for injuries of the fingers, toes and nails, especially crushed fingers tips. All of these areas are very rich in nerve endings and if you've ever done any of these things you'll probably still recall the pain. It goes shooting along the nerves and causes indescribable agony. Intolerable, violent, shooting, lancinating pain away from the injured area always means nerves are severely involved. For this reason it can help in cases of whiplash. It will often relieve pain after operations.

So don't forget Hypericum ...Arnica of the nerves!

Hypericum is also reputed to give protection against tetanus lockjaw) and so too is

5. Ledum

Think of Ledum palustre (Wild Rosemary) for very deep wounds or stings to the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. These types of injury are especially dangerous as these anaerobic conditions are ideal for tetanus to take hold. In my experience Ledum works well in any situation where the inflammation or damage can't express itself on the surface, but is somehow stuck (deep) below the surface, for this reason it works well on damaged nails. The sufferer can feel the pain and inflammation and wants cold applications to soothe it, but the surface appears bluish, swollen, cold and feels chilly. Ledum is also great for black eyes.

6. Rhus tox

A very useful homeopathic medicine for sprains and strains. The injury usually feels worse when the person first moves and then feels better for motion after a time, although if they exert themselves too much the pain returns. The injury will often make them feel very restless with a strong desire to change position. They will be stiff and want to stretch out. They will not want to get cold or wet, but will want warmth and warm or hot applications to soothe the pain. Lifting and straining makes matters worse.

Rhus tox is made from poison ivy and can be used to treat actual cases of poison ivy or any similar hive-like eruption with burning and itching (see also Urtica urens)

7. Ruta

Ruta and Rhus tox are both indicated for strains and sprains and so it helps to know how they differ. Someone needing Ruta would be less restless and not get as much relief from warmth. Unlike Rhus tox mild exertion does not help loosen things up and ease the pain. Parts lain on will feel uncomfortable, bruised and lame. It is useful for treating wrist injuries, other repetitive strains (even eye strain) and injuries to the bone surface (periosteum) e.g. shin. The sprain or stiffness will be worst in the tendons and especially on first movement.

Bryonia is useful in more extreme cases where the slightest movement causes terrible pain. It is useful after fractures and broken bones.

8. Silica

As we've already said Silica is a great medicine for painless, suppurating wounds that are very slow to heal. It is also renowned for being able to force out foreign bodies, such as splinters. For this reason it is not wise to use Silica if someone has an artificial hip, breast implants or a pacemaker (etc). It can also reduce the tendency to ingrown toenails.

Casework

In Module 1 we spoke about classical homeopathy and the importance of finding exactly the right homeopathic medicine for each individual case and just giving that one medicine to get the best result. However, in these cases it may be necessary to give more than one homeopathic medicine. This is because we are not treating one internal dis-ease but external injuries that may be of different types, for examples cuts and bruises or shock and

burns. It is alright to give these medicines one after the other and then to repeat them as needed depending on the symptoms or the nature of the pain that returns. In other words if the symptoms of shock return you give Arnica again, but if the burn starts to hurt again you give Cantharis.

These are all real cases. Think which homeopathic medicines you would give and why.

Case 1

Not exactly first aid but more like eventual aid ... Valerie, aged thirty two, had an injection that unfortunately hit a nerve in her leg. She had excruciating shooting pains in her legs for many months after that. She took painkillers, but the pain returned as soon as they wore off.

Case 2

Martina, aged four, fell and put her hand out to save herself. The flat of her left palm touched the wood-burning stove. She was screaming in agony, wanted to run her hand under the cold tap and blisters started to form very quickly.

Case 3

Ella, aged three, got her finger tips caught in a door. She had terrible shooting pains and later blue swollen fingertips that felt very hot and painful under the fingernails.

Case 4

Helen, aged thirty, was cooking on a barbecue when she burnt her hand. Running it under the cold tap didn't help, she wanted to put a warm washcloth on it.

Case 5

Myra had a very nasty near miss in her car. She was shaken and bruised with terrible whiplash.

Case 6

James was pulled out to sea by strong currents whilst surfing. He had thought he would die and was very frightened, shocked and bruised by the

time he got back to shore. He also had a number of cuts on his legs from scrambling over rocks.

Case 7

Victoria was eating oysters when she got a small cut at the base of her thumb. It quickly went septic and was, surprisingly, extremely painful for such a small wound.

Case 8

Rose spent too long working on the computer and had very sore eyes and wrists.

To see what was successfully prescribed in each case go to the end of the page.

Quiz/ Module 2

All the answers can be found in the text, but see how much you can remember (or guess). Good Luck! The answers will be given at the start of Module 3.

1. Which two homeopathic first aid medicines are said to help prevent tetanus?

2. Which homeopathic medicine is considered to be the Arnica of the nerves?

3. What aspects of shock are similar to the symptom picture of Arnica?

4. If you were treating a painless, pus-filled wound what homeopathic medicine might be most similar?

5. Apart from Arnica what other homeopathic medicine could be used to treat a black eye?

6. If a wound needed Ledum what would it look like?

7. Which homeopathic medicine can be used to force out splinters?

8. Why is it ok to give more than one homeopathic medicine at a time when treating a first aid case?

9. What homeopathic medicines may be helpful in treating sunburn?

10. What homeopathic medicine can ease the pain of fractures and broken bones?

Casework Answers

Case 1:

Hypericum worked beautifully.

Case 2:

Had Arnica and Rescue Remedy for shock and Cantharis for the burn. Cantharis was repeated often, as needed.

Case 3:

Had Arnica and Rescue Remedy for shock. Hypericum for nerve pain and Ledum for trapped swelling under her nails. Hypericum was given twice and Ledum was given more often. Prescriptions were based on how she described the pain.

Case 4:

An unusual response to the burn indicated Arsenicum and that worked very well.

Case 5:

Had Arnica and Rescue Remedy for shock. The shock returned often and Arnica was given often. She also needed frequent doses of Hypericum.

Case 6:

Had Arnica for shock and Calendula for the cuts, but remained very frightened and this was finally helped by Aconite.

Case 7:

Calendula didn't seem to help much, perhaps it was given too late, so we changed to Hepar sulph this worked beautifully.

Case 8:

Ruta worked well, but don't let that be an excuse to over do at the keyboard!

© Mary Aspinwall